


Midnight Rains

by cecilantro



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 03:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14707883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecilantro/pseuds/cecilantro
Summary: (Spoilers for 9x19/C2E19)Caleb keeps getting knocked unconscious in the dead of night and it's keeping Molly awake.





	Midnight Rains

Molly can’t sleep. The ambush in the night keeps crawling back to him, he’s reminded of Caleb’s wounds the first time, he still blames himself, and he keeps seeing Caleb hit the floor. The first time, with three crossbow bolts sticking out of him, the second, just one. And how Jester had dragged him, and he hadn’t moved.   
He can hear Nott and Caleb talking quietly outside, a dull hum just above the sound of the rain. He hears no words, but he knows the distinctive pitch and tone of Caleb’s voice and the shrill whisper of Nott’s. And he tries so, so fucking hard to sleep.   
It doesn’t come.    
He just keeps seeing the arrows in Caleb’s chest.

The end of Nott and Caleb’s watch rolls around, finally, and Molly watches with exhaustion as Nott crawls under the corner of the cart, Caleb crouches beside her and points at his satchel until she passes it to him, and he takes out his cloak, still only just damp since Molly had managed to get the luggage into the dry reasonably quickly. Nott beds down, curls up like an animal would, and Caleb drapes the cloak over her and pats her shoulder affectionately, then goes to wake Yasha.   
Molly sees her legs as she pads away from the cart to take up watch, and then watches Caleb come back, and sit up against the wheel.   
In the rain.   
Molly crawls until he can peek his head out, around the wheel.   
“Caleb?”   
Caleb’s eyes pop open, he turns, already halfway to casting Fire Bolt, and stops dead when he sees Molly.   
“You startled me.” He says, quiet, and Molly smiles,   
“Looks damp out there. Why don’t you come under here?” he invites, coolly, and Caleb eyes the space warily,   
“I don’t think there’s much room, or that I will fit.” His tone is dubious, and Molly sighs with exasperation,   
“Caleb, you’re like a sheet of paper. Come on, come and get out of the rain.”   
Caleb huffs, but obeys, eventually, crawling under the cart and shrugging his coat off to set it down, over the damp mud, next to Molly.   
Molly watches him, and gives a snort of laughter,   
“What are you doing?”   
“My bedroll is soaked through, I would rather have the wet on only one side rather than both.” Caleb replies, smoothing the bunches out of his coat. Molly reaches out and tugs at the sleeve of his shirt, only marginally less wet than his coat.   
“Get into mine, it’ll be warmer.”   
“I am  _ also _ soaked through,” Caleb replies flatly, “You’ll get wet.”   
“Oh, who cares?” Molly would roll his eyes, if he could, “I’ll be damp and you’ll be warm, you’ve kept me warm enough times, I ought to repay the favour.”   
Caleb squints down at him, and if he wasn’t swaying with exhaustion, then of course, he would deny. But he’s cold, he’s wet, he’s tired, and whilst the Mage Armor had taken the brunt of the damage from the arrow, the impact still hurt. A lot. And it’s aching.   
Molly is holding the corner of his covers up, staring at him, patient.   
Caleb sighs and pulls his shirt off, prompting raised eyebrows from Molly,   
“Enthusiastic.”   
“You are on thin ice already, Mollymauk, do not tease me.” Caleb warns, “I will be warmer and drier for both of us without it.”   
“As long as you get in here, soon, you can be naked for all I care.” Molly shrugs, tilts his head in amusement. Caleb glares,   
“I said not to tease.”   
“Then stop talking and come in.”   
Caleb takes no more encouragement, he’s cold, and he drops down into Molly’s bedroll. Molly drops the blanket over the top of them, and gives a breath of laughter as Caleb pushes into the warmth the tiefling provides. It’s so odd; usually, Caleb is the one draping himself over Molly to share the arcane warmth he’s naturally filled with. But with the fight and the rain and the lack of spells, Caleb is icy cold and shivering. Molly wraps an arm around him, over his waist, and pulls him in.   
“Get your fill of fresh hot Molly.” He says softly, smile evident in his tone. Caleb rolls his eyes, tucks his head under Molly’s chin.   
“Nobody else should know about this. Please.” Caleb says, quietly, and Molly kisses the top of his head so gently that Caleb feels the burn of tears at the back of his throat.   
“What happens here, stays here.” Molly promises, “Now get some sleep. You’re warming up well, it’ll be like hugging a campfire soon enough.”   
He feels Caleb smile against his shoulder.   
“Goodnight, Mollymauk.”   
“Night, darling.” Molly squishes him once, and relaxes, and they both slowly fade off to sleep. Caleb goes first, almost immediately, now that he’s warm and safe, and Molly follows close behind. He can feel Caleb breathing, slowly and calmly, the rise-and-fall of his chest against Molly’s, the breath against his neck. It’s solid proof that Caleb is  _ alive _ and relatively unhurt, and that’s enough to tempt Molly into falling away.

 

He wakes up to Yasha crouching over Caleb and poking his face to wake him up, the grey light of day through the drizzle that still persists, and he muffles a groan in his throat.   
“Morning.” He says to her, still hazy, his voice doesn’t go above a breath.   
“I heard that Caleb doesn’t want the others knowing.” She replies, just as quiet, her odd sad smile firmly on her face, “I woke you first.”   
“Thank you, love, now shoo.” He motions to her, and she smiles, crawling backwards and out from under the cart with only a brief bump of her head.   
Molly squishes Caleb,   
“Caleb, darling, wake up.” His voice is quiet, but close enough that Caleb stirs out of his sleep and blinks awake, blearily.   
“Is- is something wrong?”   
“No, no, nothing wrong. Just wanted to wake you up before the others get up, privacy and all.”   
“Oh. Yes, of course, I didn’t- didn’t think about the morning. Thank you.”   
He peels back just enough to meet Molly’s eyes,   
“And thank you for last night, too.”   
“I’m yours any time, love.” Molly brushes a hand down Caleb’s side, brushes a thumb to the hollow of his hip, “Just say the word.”   
Caleb smiles a little as he stretches up, he brushes his fingers along the angle of Molly’s jaw.   
“Thank you.” he repeats, softly, and kisses Molly for the first time.   
There’s a burst of light and love behind his eyelids as they slip close, Molly’s hand on his hip tightens into a firm grip and he presses back to him, perfectly synchronised. Caleb hazes his way into dreamlike life, and when he drops away, the world swims as though he’s underwater for a few moments.   
“That- that was, an experience that, that I would very much like to enjoy again.”   
“Any time.” Molly’s playful smirk is softer now, sweeter, “Just say the word.”   
They split from one another into the light drizzle and begin the task of waking their teammates, Caleb pulls his shirt on just in time to prod Nott awake.   
“Morning.” She greets, yawning, as she crawls into the drizzle. She pulls a face of distaste, “Did you sleep well?”   
“ _ Very _ well, actually.” Caleb smiles, and she squints at his tone, but is too hazed by sleep to carry it on.   
“Good.” She tells him, “Good. Get ready, then.”   
Jester stretches up from under the cart.   
“Caleb, your coat is next to Molly’s bedroll. Did you sleep on it? You know you could have taken my blanket, right?” She turns and frowns at him in amicable concern. Caleb flushes a little,   
“I- I was warm enough.” He assures her, “Thank you, though. I appreciate it.”   
Jester grins, sharp glint of teeth.   
“Any time.”


End file.
